A Few Chinese Poems About Spring for Poetry Day
After last week’s surprise temperature plummet and unexpected snow fall, surely spring is finally on the way? Well, Mar 20 is actually the Spring Equinox, so officially (and hopefully) we can say goodbye to winter and welcome the warm spring weather for a few weeks before we’re all melting in another Beijing summer.
Not only does Mar 20 mark the Spring Equinox, but Mar 21 is World Poetry Day! So we thought we'd celebrate both by sharing some ancient Chinese poems about spring.
春晓 Chūnxiǎo
by 孟浩然 Mèng Hàorán
This spring morning in bed I'm lying,
Not to awake till the birds are crying.
After one night of wind and showers,
How many are the fallen flowers?
春眠不觉晓，
处处闻啼鸟。
夜来风雨声，
花落知多少。
Chūnmián bù jué xiǎo,
Chùchù wén tí niǎo.
Yèlái fēngyǔ shēng,
Huā luò zhī duōshǎo.
初春小雨 Chūchūn Xiǎoyǔ
by 韓愈 Hán Yù
In light rain, Heaven Street is moist like butter,
The grass is green from afar, but not nearby.
The spring is best this time every year,
The mist of willow blossom fills the capital.
天街小雨润如酥，
草色遥看近却无。
最是一年春好处，
绝胜烟柳满皇都。
Tiān jiē xiǎoyǔ rùn rú sū,
Cǎosè yáo kàn jìn què wú.
Zuì shì yī niánchūn hǎochù,
Jué shèng yān liǔmǎnhuáng dōu.
春眠 Chūnmián
by 白居易 Bái Jūyì
The pillow's low, the quilt is warm, the body smooth and peaceful,
Sun shines on the door of the room, the curtain not yet open.
Still the youthful taste of spring remains in the air,
Often it will come to you even in your sleep.
枕低被暖身安稳，
日照房门帐未开。
还有少年春气味，
时时暂到梦中来。
Zhěn dī bèi nuǎn shēn ānwěn,
Rìzhào fáng mén zhàng wèi kāi.
Hái yǒu shàonián chūn qìwèi,
Shíshí zàn dào mèng zhōng lái.
春思 Chūn Sī
by 李白 Lǐ Bái
The grasses of Yan are like jade threads,
The mulberry trees of Qin have low, green branches.
The day you think of returning home,
My heart is already broken.
One does not know the spring breeze,
So why does it enter my bed curtains?
燕草如碧丝，
秦桑低绿枝。
当君怀归日，
是妾断肠时。
春风不相识，
何事入罗帏。
Yàn cǎo rú bì sī,
Qín sāng dī lǜ zhī.
Dāng jūn huái guī rì,
Shì qiè duàncháng shí.
Chūnfēng bù xiāngshí,
Héshì rù luō wéi.
题都城南庄 Tí Dūchéng Nánzhuāng
by 崔护 Cuī Hù
In this house on this day last year, a pink face vied,
In beauty with the pink peach blossoms side by side.
I do not know today where the pink face has gone,
In the vernal breeze still smile pink peach blossoms full-blown.
去年今日此门中，
人面桃花相映红。
人面不知何处去，
桃花依旧笑春风。
Qùnián jīnrì cǐ mén zhōng,
Rén miàn táohuā xiāngyìng hóng.
Rén miàn bùzhī hé chù qù,
Táohuā yījiù xiào chūnfēng.
If you're in the mood for even more poetry, you can head over to this Thursday at 8pm, for Spittoon's monthly poetry night (Spittoon Poetry Night takes place every fourth Thursday of the month).
READ MORE
Where to Catch Spring Blossoms in Beijing
Images: Unsplash (Alexander Schimmeck), Lan Lin, Ren Ran
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